


Pale Houses

by firstloveghost



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Dysfunctional Family, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Kissing, M/M, Making Out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 14:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16704220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firstloveghost/pseuds/firstloveghost
Summary: Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol come from dysfunctional families, but that doesn't stop them from being there and developing feelings for each other.In this one Baekhyun makes green pancakes, Chanyeol likes to go around without a shirt on, and they both need a hug.





	Pale Houses

 

Chanyeol blinked lazily, the darkness of the room hugging him softly. The bed beside him was cold and empty and, although that wasn’t a surprise, he always felt a small pang of disappointment at the realization.

The cream walls, the soft covers, and the simple furniture all looked dark and indistinguishable as he moved his head gently against the pillow. The window blinds, covering the first morning rays of sunlight, offered his tired eyes some peace.

Chanyeol was used to it, so he paid no mind to the shadows dancing behind the random little objects discarded here and there in the room. The condo was silent, as it was most early mornings, something he was incredibly glad of.

Giving himself the time to stretch his sore limbs, he sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair, short dark brown locks caressing his pale fingers smoothly. He should probably cut it, as it was starting to grow a little too long for his taste. Or maybe dye it some funny color, just to earn some pissed off stares from his mother.

Inhaling softly, lazily, he noticed how (oddly) the room smelled really sweet, like honey and butter and chamomile. He yawned, curiosity shaking up his foggy brain and wiggled his toes on the thick carpet underneath his feet, almost giggling to himself at the funny sensation.

When he turned his head to the bedside table, the alarm clock told him it was only five a.m.-ish, yet he could see artificial light streaming from under the closed door, meaning  _ someone  _ was already up and at them.

The corners of his lips turned slightly up on their own. 

He got up and touched the toned skin of his naked torso for a second, mentally debating if putting on something more than his briefs was a good idea or not.

He never really slept with pajamas on, or even socks for the matter, even in terribly cold winter days, as his blood ran hot, keeping him warm and content.

Suddenly, there was a muffled noise on the other side of the door, something that vaguely sounded like a curse, and Chanyeol instinctively decided he didn’t have the time to look for some random clothes in the dark.

Still half-asleep, he walked the steps that separated him from the kitchen with bare feet, making very little sound.

“Baek?” he called, slowly walking towards the boy that had his head in the fridge, eyes adjusting to the bright lights coming from the ceiling.

Baekhyun jumped on the spot and bumped his head on one of the fridge’s separators. Another curse fell off his lips and as he turned around, his expression looked sort of apologetic. He was still in his pj bottoms but the thin shirt he usually wore to sleep, the huge one that once belonged to Chanyeol himself, had been discarded somewhere in favor of a much warmer beige sweater that hung loosely on his small frame.

“I woke you up again.” Baekhyun stated, starting to fidget with the too-long sleeves of his sweater. Chanyeol bit his bottom lip softly, noting how the boy’s brown eyes were somehow puffy and red-looking.

“It’s the smell.” he replied distractedly, voice hoarse from sleep. “I have a hound’s nose or something.”

That got a smile out of Baekhyun, but it didn’t last for long. After a few seconds of silence, right before Chanyeol could say something else, Baekhyun turned around and busied himself with the kitchen’s stove.

 

The small two-rooms apartment, where Baekhyun lived alone, was Chanyeol’s favorite place in the world. The warm colors of the walls and the minimal wooden furniture had nothing to do with it though, nor did all the random objects Baekhyun liked to bring in, adopting them from the most absurd places.

Cozy and a little out of Seoul’s chaos, Chanyeol knew he had found his oasis in the desert as soon as he first slept there, a little over four months back.

Now, Chanyeol always had trouble sleeping.

Thanks to his parent’s  _ ugly _ words replaying in his head since he was a kid until he almost believed them? Because his older sister decided it was best to stop talking to him altogether? Or maybe just ‘cause the rest of his family said to his face multiple times how it would have been better if he wasn’t born at all?

He didn’t really want to know.

So of course, when Baekhyun suggested they had some sort of get together for insomniacs only, Chanyeol agreed with a heavy heart and very little expectations.

He really couldn’t imagine how Baekhyun’ presence would have healed him.

The boy, on the other hand, had always felt lonely surrounded by those four walls. 

His family situation definitely wasn’t as bad as Chanyeol’s, but his parents...they simply didn’t care. As soon as Baekhyun got old enough, they sent him away without thinking too much about it, remaking how he  _ had to do something  _ with his life. 

As much as the now twenty-two years old said it was fine, it obviously wasn’t.

Chanyeol knew that because Baekhyun was incredibly frantic in everything he did, from small things to big decision, an incredible amount of anxiety accompanied him with hurried steps everywhere he went. Consequently, it was routine to find him up and about at ungodly hours, cleaning, sketching, reading or even cooking.

Chanyeol felt the need to help him as much as Baekhyun helped him.

He and Baekhyun had been introduced by Kyungsoo, Jongin’s boyfriend. Kyungsoo met Baekhyun at a cafe’ where he used to work at, and decided that him and Chanyeol where a perfect match. “Idiots that belong to each other”, were his words. Jongin, Chanyeol’s best friend, also gave his approval after an intense chat with Baekhyun that made everyone in the room uncomfortable. 

Months later, while Chanyeol still couldn’t stop thinking about how Baekhyun lips would feel on his own, he had to admit both him and Baekhyun apparently weren’t the best at dealing with, you know,  _ feelings. _

Fast-forward up to that early morning, Chanyeol and Baekhyun slept in the same bed every time they could, shared with each other things they could barely tell themselves, almost kissed a couple of times, but were still too afraid to voice what they really felt for each other. Or at least that was Chanyeol’ theory on the matter. Either that or Baekhyun wasn’t even gay.

And  _ that _ definitely wasn’t an option, since Chanyeol recalled how Baekhyun used to receive a lot of unwanted attention from girls at the cafe’. One in particular seemed so interested in him that almost started to  _ stalk _ him.

The poor guy, after a nervous breakdown or two, had to quit his job and call the police on her.

Faking a yawn, Chanyeol dragged his feet until he was directly behind Baekhyun and hugged him from behind, circling his thin waist with his arms while trying to keep at bay the wild butterflies in his stomach, bright and colorfully flapping their wings against his insides. He was way taller than Baekhyun, who was a little shorter than average, and  _ loved _ it. He often made fun of the latter for it, but truth was he genuinely enjoyed their height difference, because it made Baekhyun look even cuter to his eyes, and gave him the possibility and strength to scoop him up in his arms whenever. Of course, that would have been the case, if he had the courage to make a move on the boy...

With some hesitation, his chin found its place on Baekhyun’s shoulder.

“Why are the pancakes green, Baek?” he asked, only mildly surprised, his nose catching up on the sweet scent in the air, undecided if it came from the dessert or the boy in front of him.

Baekhyun relaxed into the touch like it was second nature and whispered “I used the wrong food coloring.” like it was the biggest of secrets. “They were supposed to be blue.” he added as an afterthought.

Chanyeol smiled sweetly, tightening his hold on the boy a bit. “My favorite color?”

“Your favorite color.” Baekhyun confirmed.

Chanyeol, before he could even register what he was doing, planted a kiss on the base of Baekhyun’ neck. It felt so natural, so domestic, that he didn’t know what to do with himself. Baekhyun’s breath hitched and the world stilled.

Chanyeol felt electricity run through his body, from his brain to his heart to his fingertips.

Now fully awake, he slowly, carefully, put both hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders and turned him around. He pushed the small of his back against the counter and caged him with his own body.

Blindly, Baekhyun reached behind himself and turned off the stove, as if the most insignificant part of him cared for the pancakes not to burn.

He blinked furiously, brown orbs searching in dark brown pools for answers, affection and more answers, most likely to questions he was too scared to even ask.

Chanyeol, so so afraid of making one wrong move, held his breath in his lungs, where flowers and thorns decided it was the perfect time to flourish.

A warm hand travelled from Baekhyun’s shoulders to his cheek and, terrified like never before, Chanyeol lowered his face so that his lips could press against the other’s.

Baekhyun’s sweet breath hit his face gently for a moment, his nose bumped into his cutely and  _ finally  _ his lips met Chanyeol’s silently, the beating of his own heart resonating so loud in his ears he hoped he wouldn’t split his ribcage open.

Eyes still closed, Chanyeol let himself breath once, twice, three times through his nose without detaching himself from Baekhyun. His brain was glitching, his surroundings were vanishing and he felt like his blood had been replaced with liquid metal, burning him from the inside as it went on his journey through his body.

Ordering his eyelids to move and taking a step back, Chanyeol felt himself breaking into pieces seeing Baekhyun completely still. Fear of having ruined the most precious thing in his life spread through him like wildfire before the other opened his eyes.

Baekhyun inhaled roughly through his nostrils and, before Chanyeol could say anything or even begin to  _ apologize _ , he pressed himself completely on him, kissing him with honey-coated lips.

The kiss was inexperienced, full of pent up frustration and absolutely perfect, as their teeth clashed and their bodies got impossibly close.

Chanyeol doubts melted as soon as he felt Baekhyun hands roaming on his naked torso and biceps, and he grinned in the middle of their kiss.

Baekhyun touched his forehead with his, pausing to breath and silently asking what was so funny.

Chanyeol smirked, “I knew all that extra training at the gym would come in handy someday.”

That earned him a very weak slap on the shoulder before Baekhyun kissed him again, somewhat unable to hide his own smile.

To repay him, or maybe just to be a little shit, Chanyeol held him in his arms and hosted him up on the countertop, swallowing the (manly) surprised gasp that fell off Baekhyun’s lips.

Said boy pouted for a whole four seconds before using his new height advantage to run his hair through Chanyeol hair and pull slowly on the strands to turn the kiss into something messier. Chanyeol moaned lowly without really wanting to, feeling his cheeks heat up seconds after. Baekhyun smiled, eyes lidded and gaze hungry, a look Chanyeol had never seen on him. That really pushed him to kiss him with new-founded passion, occasionally biting and sucking on his bottom lip.

When both of them felt light-headed and in need of oxygen, Chanyeol helped Baekhyun down the counter and hugged him against it.

Hiding his head in the crook of Baekhyun’ shoulder, Chanyeol felt safe and at home.

“Yeol...” he heard Baekhyun call him softly after a while, “How about we have breakfast and talk?”

Chanyeol nodded, a bit unsure about what Baekhyun was thinking in his messy little head, and took a step back, holding on his hand, feeling like he couldn’t stand being physically apart from him. He sincerely hoped he didn’t do anything to upset him.

Baekhyun smiled at him warmly and turned around to turn on the stove again.

“I’m sorry the pancakes aren’t blue” he simply said, “I was a bit upset and couldn’t see well through...you know.”

The tears. Chanyeol knew Baekhyun was crying. He often did and almost always did so too far away from Chanyeol for him to comfort him. He was used to never voice out loud his problems, was always taught to be quiet and still and never a burden to others.

The thought alone broke Chanyeol’s heart.

“It’s okay, you know I love everything you cook, right?” he said, tentative and unsure on how approach the subject.

Baekhyun looked back at him from over his shoulder with the a little smile, shy and sweet. “Thank you…” he whispered, as if Chanyeol had voiced more than his appreciation for his cooking skills.

It was always like that, Baekhyun had always been incredibly attentive and responsive regarding people’s moods and the general atmosphere of the situations he was in. That gave him an advantage in reading others, but mostly put him in trouble. Turns out people don’t want to be read like an open book most of the time, who would have thought. Chanyeol almost sighed at that.

As Baekhyun divided the green pancakes in two plates, Chanyeol also noticed how the other boy only put two in one plate, pushing all the others in what he assumed was gonna be his own plate.

He sighed this time. “Baek…” he called, touching the other’s elbow gently.

Baekhyun tensed for a second, but proceeded to put both plates on their little kitchen table anyway, avoiding Chanyeol’s eyes.

As he sat down, an insistent ray of sunlight shone upon his tiny frame and Chanyeol was left breathless for a moment.

Baekhyun looked like an angel, his thin lips shiny and sort of puffy, the little mole on top of them small and cute. His light brown hair was incredibly messy but the boy didn’t notice at all which left Chanyeol giggling in his head, and his eyes...his deer eyes were always so expressive Chanyeol might have featured them in his songs a couple of times, in secret of course. Oh god, he was  _ so in love _ .

There were just small details that didn’t fit with the vision in front of his eyes. The deep dark eyebags circling Baekhyun’s eyes, the way it was barely six in the morning and how the clothes all seemed to look huge on the boy’s frame.

Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrowed on their own. He was immensely worried. There was no way he would stand still and wait for the most beautiful thing of his life to vanish. If there was a thing he learned from the fire that forged him was to fight for things that mattered, against the world if it was necessary.

He took a deep breath and sat down in front of Baekhyun.

“ _ Baek _ -”

“ _ ‘Yeol _ -”

“No no, you first.” Chanyeol said, always ready to listen in case Baekhyun needed to vent.

Baekhyun nodded and smiled quietly, but the action didn’t reach his eyes and suddenly Chanyeol had to get ready for the worst. Alarm bells started to ring in his ears.

“That before...was really nice.” Baekhyun said, eyes downcast. “...but I don’t think it’s right.”

A blow that stung like nothing before. Hearing Baekhyun of all people say those words to him felt like a nightmare with open eyes and Chanyeol, blinking rapidly, deeply regretted letting him talk first.

“You are a good guy ‘Yeol.” Baekhyun sighed, going on. “Actually, you’re the best guy I’ve ever met.”

At that, Chanyeol tried his best to breath, but all the air in his lungs seemed to have dissipated. “That’s why...it’s better if we stop seeing each other.” Baekhyun continued, fidgeting with his hands on top of the table, pancakes forgotten on the plate.

When Chanyeol didn’t answer, stuck and unable to, a bitter laughing sound escaped his lips. “I don’t deserve you. I would just...just  _ ruin _ you, ‘Yeol.” he said, before whispering “I’m sorry…” so quietly Chanyeol almost thought he had imagined it. He felt hurt and miserable, but those words, they sounded so rehearsed that Chanyeol finally found the strength to at least  _ ask _ .

“Do you like me, Baek?”

Baekhyun, unable to keep his eyes on the table any longer, tilted his head up and blinked so furiously the tears started to roll down his cheeks.

He opened his mouth a couple of times but nothing came out, so Chanyeol placed a hand on top of his and used his thumb to stroke them gently. “It’s okay, you can say it.” he whispered, heart beating frantically in his chest.

Baekhyun bit his bottom lip softly, blinking away more tears. “Of course I like you.”

Chanyeol felt a splash of relief wash over him. So that wasn’t the problem, he thought, he had read the situation correctly, he didn’t lie to himself at the time...his family wasn’t right about him when they said  _ nobody could love him anyway _ .

The air flooded his lungs again, and he smiled a little.

“I like you too, Baek.” he said to the other, causing more tears to come.

Chanyeol then got up, turned around the table and crouched down. He brought up a hand slowly and brushed away some tears from Baekhyun’s beautiful eyes.

“Did you parents call you yesterday night?” he asked, knowing the answer already.

Baekhyun nodded, but didn’t say anything.

Mr. and Mrs. Byun, while they hardly bothered to call their son, always had him break down afterwards. Usually, Chanyeol was pushed away (both literally and metaphorically) and had to hear from Kyungsoo how Baekhyun was holding up because the boy wouldn’t answer his phone. In that moment, Chanyeol knew he wouldn’t let that happen again.

He took a deep breath, letting his gaze meet Baekhyun’s gently. “Did they perhaps say something about how being gay is disgraceful or a sin or an illness-”

Baekhyun stopped him, nodding again. Chanyeol’s smile softened.

“Oh Baek, come here.” he said, opening his arms wide and without any hesitance Baekhyun launched himself at him, making them both fall down.

Laying down to the ground, Baekhyun kept on crying for a few minutes, while Chanyeol whispered how everything was gonna be okay, because they had each other. Even if he knew how it all probably sounded like sweet nothings to Baekhyun’s ears, and how it would take a lot of time to actually convince him that his parents were wrong, Chanyeol was willing to be there all the way in their journey together. Caressing his light brown locks, Chanyeol felt the desire to be Baekhyun’s new family, and to have him in his own.

He smiled at the thought.

When Baekhyun sat up, rubbing at his eyes like a sleepy child, Chanyeol couldn’t help but kiss him right on the lips, short and sweet.

“W-What..?”

“I love you.”

Baekhyun’s mouth opened and his jaw stayed slack for a couple of seconds, before Chanyeol started laughing at him. “It’s not funny, you dick!” Baekhyun answered loudly, hitting him on the shoulder.

“Sorry sorry!” Chanyeol said, smiling wide, not even a bit apologetic.

Baekhyun pouted, “...I love you too.” and kissed him again, longer and deeper than Chanyeol had, climbing on his lap and shivering at the contact with Chanyeol’s warm skin.

Chanyeol felt himself melt and hugged Baekhyun with both arms, letting their bodies get even closer. Between kisses he whispered, “Will you be my boyfriend?” and Baekhyun laughed carefree. “Of course, I thought you’d never ask!”

They both smiled, helplessly happy, and kept on kissing on the floor of Baekhyun’s two-rooms apartment until the sun shone brightly in the morning sky.

 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading this mess  
> come talk to me on twitter if you want @ eviloolong


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